Hononegah, Belvidere North carry NIC-10 torch

Against Harlem and Boylan this year, the Hononegah Indians just weren’t able to get over the hump. But it’s playoff season now, and none of that matters as Hononegah did what those teams couldn’t do and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

Hononegah took advantage of five turnovers in a sloppy game, and Chase Robinson ran for two touchdowns and threw for another in a 26-7 victory over St. Charles East in their IHSA Class 7A first-round playoff game.

The Indians, who had to play on the road in the first round, were out-gained by 50 yards in the game. But the turnovers, which included four fumbles, were enough for the Indians to overcome the disparity in yards.

For their efforts in the win, Hononegah has earned the right to host a second-round playoff game. Unfortunately for the Indians, the team that will come calling is Glenbard West, the top seed in Class 7A and one of the top teams in the state.

Glenbard earned their way into the game by disposing of another NIC-10 foe, the Guilford Vikings.

The Vikings started off better than most people had anticipated, trailing only 7-0 at the half. But Glenbard scored three second-half touchdowns, and the defense shut down the Guilford offense.

In other NIC-10 playoff action:

• Belvidere North pulled the same trick as the Indians, leaning on five turnovers to help pull a 14-7 upset in their Class 6A first-round matchup with Chicago Robeson.

The Blue Thunder got a touchdown from Zackery Stinson and backup quarterback Alex Tripp in the win. Up next is the No. 6 seed Chicago Hubbard, who were 30-6 winners over Riverside. Belvidere North will be at home for the game.

• The Belvidere Bucs recovered a fumble in the end zone in the fourth quarter for their first touchdown of the game. Unfortunately, Corey Cavitt had already scored five for Woodstock Marian in the 42-6 win in their Class 5A game. The Bucs finished the season 5-5.